Intro

This blog gains its name from the book Steele's Answers published in 1912. It began as an effort to blog through that book, posting each of the Questions and Answers in the book in the order in which they appeared. I started this on Dec. 10, 2011. I completed blogging from that book on July 11, 2015. Along the way, I began to also post snippets from Dr. Steele's other writings — and from some other holiness writers of his times. Since then, I have begun adding material from his Bible commentaries. I also re-blog many of the old posts.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

A Two Stage Expereince of Christ

QUESTION: (1) When was Paul converted? (2) Can a person be converted and be baptized with the Holy Spirit at the same time?

ANSWER: On his way to Damascus he was converted. He turned to the Lord then, for he says, "I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision." He received the witness of the Spirit when the good class leader Ananias laid his hands on him. The result was that he received his sight and was baptized. The experience which he speaks of in Gal. 1:15, as "called through his grace," must be differentiated from the next clause, "to reveal his Son in Me." This later manifestation of Christ was a subsequent experience dependent on the conditions named in John 14:21, "He that hath my commandments and keepeth them." The experts agree that the revelation of Christ "to" Paul must be distinguished from the subsequent revelation of the Son "in" him. The first was to his natural eyes which were blinded by the unusual light; the last was to his spiritual eyes purged from the film of depraved tendency. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." It was a great and memorable event in St. John's life when he first saw Christ with his natural eyes. He remembers the very hour, about 4 o'clock. p.m. (John 1:39). To see him with the spiritual eyes is a greater privilege. (2) In the normal experience there is an interval between them. But in abnormal experiences, such as that of the thief on the cross, they may be simultaneous.

Steele's Answers pp. 154, 155.

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